Socata TBM700 N850WM

Summary

On 14 April 2015 at about 15:45 local time, a Socata TBM700 registered N850WM was involved in an accident near Evart, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 April 2015 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Evart, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Evart Municipal Airport (9C8)

Coordinates

43.8947, -85.2847

Aircraft

Socata TBM700

Registration

N850WM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Evart → Evart

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA219

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to follow the Before Landing checklist and to extend the landing gear and the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision, which resulted in a gear-up landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and commercial pilot were conducting a local instructional flight as part of an insurance requirement. The flight instructor stated that, after performing pattern work, the pilot performed two landings and that, while performing the approach for a third landing with 0 degree of flaps, the landing gear were not extended at midfield. He stated that this had also happened on the previous two landings. He added that, as the airplane descended into ground effect, he and the pilot realized that the landing gear were not down and "took immediate steps to go around"; however, the airplane contacted the runway surface with the gear up. The pilot stated that he was "distracted" by watching the airplane's airspeed and attitude and that, during touchdown, he heard the airplane contact the runway and that he then applied power to initiate an aborted landing because "there was not much runway left." Given that the flight instructor had noted that the pilot had not extended the landing gear by midfield on the previous two landings, he should have had a heightened focus on the gear's position during the subsequent/accident landing. Further, the Before Landing checklist stated to extend the landing gear and verify that the landing gear position indicator lights were green. If the pilot had followed the Before Landing checklist or if the flight instructor had been adequately supervising the pilot, the landing gear likely would have been extended upon landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.